Musical instrument digital recording device with communications interface

ABSTRACT

A portable device is used for recording, editing, and replaying musical sounds generated by a musical instrument external to the device. The musical sounds are converted from analog to digital format, compressed for minimum storage usage, and stored in a digital storage medium. The stored signals are filed according to an indexing scheme that allows selection and retrieval of selected portions of the musical sounds. The selected portions are retrieved from storage, decompressed, converted back to analog signals, and output to a sound generating device. The operation of the device is controlled by application software and operating system software.

[0001] This application claims benefit of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/346,053 filed Jul. 7, 1999, entitled “MusicalInstrument Digital Recording Device with Communications Interface”, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to audio recording andplayback devices. More particularly, this invention pertains torecording and playback devices for use in conjunction with musicalinstruments that are external to the device.

[0003] Musicians frequently have a need or desire to record the musicthat they create on their instruments. In some cases, the recording ismade for personal enjoyment. In other circumstances, a recording will bemade for more commercial purposes, such as to make a record of a songwriting session to create a song demo recording, to create a musicalinstrument track for editing or mixing, or for archival purposes.Generally, musicians who want to record their music while playing aninstrument will have to make special arrangements in a recording studioor use amateur tape recording equipment of their own. While in therecording studio, the musician has access to a variety of sophisticatedpost-production recording, mixing, and editing equipment. In a homerecording setting, editing options are usually far more limited. Ineither case, the musician must plan the recording session in advanceincluding gathering and connecting sophisticated, bulky recordingequipment. During the recording session, the musician is oftendistracted from the actual playing of the instrument because he must usehis hands to control the recording equipment and/or to change or reloadthe recording media. Even if a musician uses a portable cassette ormini-disc recorder for convenience, neither is specifically adapted forconnection directly to an instrument such as a guitar. Moreover,existing portable recording devices have limited functionality andversatility in terms of editing and external connectivity.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,912, issued to Eagen, describes an apparatusfor digitally recording music from a guitar. The apparatus also allowsthe user to replay the digitally recorded music. However, the Eagendevice does not allow a user to edit the digitally recorded music or toaccess selected portions of the digitally recorded music.

[0005] Conventional portable recording and playback devices from SharpCorporation and Diamond, such as the Sharp MD-MTS21 and the RIO PMP300,provide the ability to digital record music from compact discs or fromthe Internet for time periods ranging from 1 hour to 8 hours. They donot provide the ability to edit the recorded music or record for longerperiods of time. Moreover, these devices are not adapted for recordingmusic directly from a guitar or other musical instrument.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for an audio recording and playback devicethat may be conveniently carried and operated by a musician to recordthe music he or she creates with a musical instrument. Preferably, sucha device will have both internal storage that can easily be cued andreviewed as well as an interface to an external storage and editingdevice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The musical instrument direct recording and playback device ofthe present invention comprises an input stage including an audio signalformat converter having two analog inputs and outputs, an output stageincluding two digital outputs, a digital signal processor; a controlinput device: an application software storage device; an applicationsoftware program, an operating system storage device; an operatingsystem software program, a digital storage device; and a display. Thedevice can connect directly to the output jack of an external musicalinstrument for purposes of receiving analog audio signals as theinstrument is played. On commands entered by a footswitch connected tothe device, the device converts the received signals to digital format,compresses the digital signals, and stores and indexes the digital audiosignals on an internal mass storage device. On receipt of furthercommands, the device can retrieve selected portions of the digitalsignals, decompress the retrieved signals, converts the retrievedsignals to analog signals, and output the analog signals as a monauralor stereo audio signal. The device includes an external communicationsport and interface, such as from a Universal Serial Bus, to a personalcomputer. This allows the stored digital audio data to be up-loaded forstorage and editing and/or new or updated software to be downloaded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the musical instrument directrecording and playback device of this invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a typical SHARC (Super HarvardARChitecture) Digital Signal Processor device and circuit board that canbe used in one embodiment of the device of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the SHARC DSP device and circuitshown in FIG. 2.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the functional steps implemented bythe software in one embodiment of the device of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention of a musicalinstrument recording and playback device 10 includes a recording inputstage 12 and playback output stage 17 connected to a digital signalprocessor 14, a control input device 16, an application software storagedevice 18, an application software program 19, an operating systemstorage device 20, an operating system software program 21, are-writable digital mass storage device 22, and a display 24.

[0013] The input stage 12 includes a first analog input 26 connected toa first digital input 42 on the processor 14 through a first analog dataconverter 27, and a second analog input 28 connected to a second digitalinput 44 on processor 14 through a second analog data converter 29.Optionally, first and second buffer amplifiers 37 and 39 can be usedbetween the analog inputs 26 and 28 and corresponding analog dataconverters 27 and 29. The converters 27 and 29 and be conventional A/Dconverters or CODEC devices capable of providing additional standard orproprietary format encoding on the input signals as they are convertedto digital format at converter outputs 34 and 36.

[0014] The analog inputs 26 and 28 are conventional female audio jacksadapted to connect directly to the output of a conventional externalmusical instrument 5. The musical instrument 5 can be an electricguitar, keyboard, or other instrument that generates electrical analogand/or digital audio signals when the instrument is played by amusician. In a preferred embodiment, auxiliary audio output jacks 13 and15 are hardwired directly to the analog inputs 26 and 28 so that anexternal connection can be made to other audio devices. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the device 10 can include digital signalinputs for direct connection to a musical instrument having a digitaloutput. In this embodiment, the converters 27 and 29 would not need toperform an analog-to-digital conversion but would simply perform anencoding and/or decoding function to provide digital audio signals inthe proper format.

[0015] The audio output stage 17 includes first and second digitaloutputs 64 and 66 on processor 14, connected at converter inputs 30 and32 to corresponding first and second digital data converters 41 and 43.The outputs 38 and 40 of converters 41 and 43 can be buffered by bufferamplifiers 45 and 47 to provide analog audio output signals at first andsecond channel analog outputs 49 and 51. Optionally, separate first andsecond auxiliary digital outputs 53 and 55 can be connected to processoroutputs 64 and 66 for connection to external digital audio devices. Thedigital converters 41 and 43 are conventional type D/A converters orCODEC devices.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the device 10, the converters 27,29, 41, and 43 can be integrated into a single CODEC integrated circuitand package.

[0017] The primary function of the input and output stages 12 and 17 isto convert analog signals generated by the musical instrument 5 todigital format during recording, and to convert the recorded digitalaudio signals back to analog format during playback.

[0018] The digital signal processor 14 includes a first digital input42, a second digital input 44, a control input 46, an applicationsoftware storage input 48, an application software storage output 50, anoperating system storage input 52, an operating system storage output54, a display output 56, a computer communications port 58, a digitalstorage input 60, a digital storage output 62, a first digital output64, and a second digital output 66. The processor 14 is of aconventional type found in the art such as the SHARC digital signalprocessor.

[0019] The primary function of the processor 14 is to compress theconverted digital signals for storage purposes, store the compresseddigital signals in files on the digital storage device 22, control andmanage the digital storage device 22, receive inputs from the controlinput device 16, retrieve stored digital signals from the digitalstorage device 22, decompress retrieved digital signals, and send thedecompressed digital signals to the converter 12 for conversion toanalog signals. The processor 14 accomplishes all of the above tasks byusing application software loaded on the application software storagedevice 18. The application software is described in detail below.

[0020] The digital signals are compressed to ensure that the digitalsignals use up a minimum amount of space on the digital storage device22. In one embodiment of the device 10, the digital storage device canbe a conventional low profile IDE hard disk drive, and the processor 14can communicate and control the digital storage device 22 through aconventional IDE disk controller interface.

[0021] The processor 14 compresses the digital signal received throughthe first digital signal input 42 and the digital signal receivedthrough the second digital signal input 44. A compression algorithm isused to perform the compression. The compression algorithm is of thetype commonly found in the art such as NIPEG audio compression.

[0022] An external data port 48, such as a USB port of the conventionaltype found in the art, is used to transfer stored audio data andprogramming from the device 10 to a remote computer (not shown). Thedigital audio data that is uploaded from the device 10 can then bestored, edited, mixed, etc. and, if desired, downloaded back to thedevice 10.

[0023]FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate one physical embodiment of the device 10shown in block diagram form in FIG. 1, and particularly using aconventional SHARC DSP circuit board as the microprocessor 14 withonboard non-volatile memory (not-shown). A standard RS-232 serialcommunications port 48 is used to communicate with external devices inthis embodiment, rather than a USB port. A UART (Universal AsynchronousReceiver Transmitter) and RS-232 Drivers convert the data as needed bythe processor 14 and external device (not shown) in conventionalfashion.

[0024] In accordance with one novel feature of the invention, thecontrol input device 16 can be a momentary contact or multiple positionfootswitch that is capable of sending electrical signals or commands tothe processor 14 by a wired or wireless connection to control input 46.The control input device 16 generates control inputs to the processor 14to control the operation of the device 10. For example, when the controlinput device 16 is pressed one time, a control input is generated andsent to the processor 14. The application software on the processorinterprets this control input as a command to start and stop recordingor to playback audio stored at a specific memory location.

[0025] Although the use of a footswitch that is hardwired to the device10 is convenient for use by musicians who otherwise have their handsoccupied, other conventional switches can be used, including switchesoperably connected to the device 10 by infrared or other conventionalwireless means. Alternatively, a PC connected through a USB port canprovide control commands to the device 10.

[0026]FIG. 4 is a flowchart describing the sequence of commands andresponsive operations that are implemented by the software controllingthe microprocessor 14 in one embodiment of the present invention. Asseen on FIG. 4, the device can operate in one of multiple modes based onthe Select Mode, Select Record Mode, and/or Select Play Mode prompted bythe processor 14 and entered by use of the control input device(footswitch) 16. The primary modes include Select Record Mode, SelectPlay Mode, and File Dump Mode.

[0027] The record modes can include Record On Demand, Continuous Record,and Search. The Record On Demand mode requires further switch input bythe user which, when received, initiates storage of audio signals alongwith generation of marker and indexing data. The Continuous Record modeactivates recording, indexing, and marking whenever audio signals arepresent at a device input 26, 28. The play modes include Index Play modecauses the device to begin playback of recorded signals located atspecified index numbers. Additional detail is shown in FIG. 4 anddescribed below. A programmer familiar with the programminglanguage/instruction set associated with a particular microprocessor 14would create and store the corresponding instructions and commands inthe program storage device, such as the PROM 18, 19 on FIG. 3.

[0028] The control input device 16 also controls the primary mode inwhich the device 14 is operating. When the control input device 16 ispressed five times in rapid succession, for example, the processor 14enters a “Mode Setting Mode.” The display indicates this mode bydisplaying a “555” on the display 24.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, there are three recording modes forthe musical instrument direct recording and playback device 10. Thefirst recording mode is the Continuous Record Mode that is selected whenthe user presses the control input device 16 six times. In theContinuous Record Mode, the device 10 records whenever an analog signalis present on analog inputs 26 and 28.

[0030] The second preferred recording mode is the Record on Demand Modethat is selected when the user presses the control input device 16 seventimes. In the Record on Demand Mode, the device 10 begins recording whenthe control input device 16 is pressed one time. The recording ends whenthe control input device 16 is pressed a second time. In one embodimentof the device, the processor is programmed to store audio data in sixminute increments. If the control input device 16 is pressed when thedevice 10 is recording in the middle of a six minute recordingincrement, then a reduced mount of storage on storage device 22 will beused. For example, if a user records for three minutes and presses thecontrol input device 16, the device 10 will stop recording. When theuser presses the control input device 16 to start a new recording, thedevice 10 will skip the remaining three minutes of the preceding sixminute increment and start recording at the beginning of the next sixminute increment.

[0031] A third recording mode is the Search Record Mode, selected whenthe user presses the control input device 16 eight times. In the SearchRecord Mode, the device 10 will not record over certain specified memorylocations that the user has designated as protected. For example, theuser may have several hours of recorded audio stored on storage device22. Within the second hour, and specifically, the first eighteen minutesof that hour, is recorded material that the user would like to keepstored at a specific memory location. The user designates this memorylocation as protected using the application software.

[0032] At some future time, the user may be recording over a memorylocation immediately preceding the memory location that the user wouldlike to protect. When the device 10 reaches the protected material, thedevice 10 skips over the protected memory location and continuesrecording at the next available memory location.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, there are four play modes for thedevice 10. The Play Next Index Mode allows the user to replay the audiodata stored at the next index number. This mode is selected when theuser presses the control input device 16 one time. The Play Back LastIndex Mode allows the user to replay the audio stored at the last indexnumber. This mode is selected when the user presses the control inputdevice 16 two times. The Play Back Last Marker allows the user to replaymusical sounds stored at the last marker. This mode is selected when theuser presses the control input device 16 three times. The Play BackSearch Marker Mode allows the user to replay musical sounds stored at agiven marker. This mode is selected when the user presses the controlinput device 16 four times.

[0034] An additional File Dump Mode can also be used. This mode isselected when the user presses the control input device 16 nine times.In the File Dump Mode, the device 10 transfers audio files stored onstorage device 22 to a separate computer using external communicationsport 58. The transferred data can include the corresponding indexnumbers and markers.

[0035] The application software storage device (ASSD) 18 is coupled tothe processor 14. The ASSD 18 contains the application software program19 that responds to and causes processor 14 to execute user commands.

[0036] The operating system storage device (OSSD) 20 is electricallyconnected to the processor 14. The OSSD contains the operating systemsoftware program 21 used to implement the compression of digitalsignals, store digital signals, retrieve stored digital signals, andtransmit the retrieved digital signals to the output stage 17.

[0037] Th operating system software 21, application software 19, andprocessor 14 cooperate such that the input stage 12 and output stage 17can work concurrently, whereby new audio can be recorded and storedduring the playback mode.

[0038] The digital storage device (DSD) 22 is electrically connected tothe processor 14. The DSD 22 is of the type commonly found in the artsuch as an optical or magnetic disk drive. It should be noted that manyother mass storage devices could be substituted for the hard disk drive.Examples of substitutes include non-volatile FLASH memory cards, etc. Inone embodiment of the invention, the processor 14 is programmed tooverwrite the first recorded digital audio data stored on the DSD 22when the DSD 22 is full. Flash Memory is used for easy and fastinformation storage in such devices as digital cameras and home videogame consoles. It is used more as a hard drive than as RAM. In fact,Flash Memory is considered a solid-state storage device. Known examplesof Flash Memory include a PC's BIOS chip, CompactFlash (most often foundin digital cameras), SmartMedia (most often found in digital cameras),Memory Stick (most often found in digital cameras), PCMCIA Type I andType II memory cards (used as solid-state disks in laptops), and memorycards for video game consoles.

[0039] More particularly, Flash Memory is a type of EEPROM chip. It hasa grid of columns and rows with a cell that has two transistors at eachintersection. The two transistors are separated from each other by athin oxide layer. One of the transistors is known as a floating gate andthe other one is the control gate. The floating gate's only link to therow, or wordline, is through the control gate. As long as this link isin place, the cell has a value of “1”. To change the value to a “0”requires a curious process called Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. Tunnelingis used to alter the placement of electrons in the floating gate. Anelectrical charge, usually 10-13 volts, is applied to the floating gate.The charge comes from the column, or bitline, enters the floating gateand drains to a ground. This charge causes the floating gate transistorto act like an electron gun. The excited electrons are pushed throughand trapped on other side of the thin oxide layer, giving it a negativecharge. These negatively charged electrons act as a barrier between thecontrol gate and the floating gate. A special device called a cellsensor monitors the level of the charge passing through the floatinggate. If the flow through the gate is greater than fifty percent of thecharge, it has a value of “1”. When the charge passing through dropsbelow the fifty percent threshold, the value changes to “0”. A blankEPROM has all of the gates fully open, giving each cell a value of “1”.

[0040] The electrons in the cells of a Flash Memory chip can be returnedto normal (“1”) by the application of an electric field, a highervoltage charge. Flash Memory uses in-circuit wiring to apply theelectric field to the entire chip, or to predetermined sections known asblocks. This erases the targeted area of the chip, which can then berewritten. Flash Memory works much faster than traditional EEPROMsbecause instead of erasing one byte at a time, it erases a block or theentire chip, and then rewrites it.

[0041] The CompactFlash and SmartMedia types of removable storage, aswell as PCMCIA Type I and Type II memory cards, adhere to standardsdeveloped by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association(PCMCIA). Because of these standards, it is easy to use CompactFlash andSmartMedia products in a variety of devices. Standard adapters areavailable that allow the microprocessor 14 to access these cards througha standard floppy drive, USB port or PCMCIA card slot. SmartMedia cardserase, write and read memory in write and read memory in small blocks(256 or 512 byte increments).

[0042] In an embodiment of the device 10 where an external FLASH memorydevice is used for DSD 22, the digital storage input 60 and output 62can be in the form of a second USB connector with an adaptor to connectto a SmartMedia or CompactFlash card, or a standard PCMCLA cardconnector with a PCMCLA FLASH memory device, all of which areconventional devices well known in the art. The microprocessor 14 readsand writes data to the FLASH memory type DSD 22 using the standardsdeveloped by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association(PCMCIA).

[0043] The DSD 22 stores each digital audio signal as an individual filein six minute increments. It should be noted that the choice of sixminute increments is arbitrary and may vary depending on the needs ofthe user. In addition, the DSD 22 may also combine each individualdigital signal and store both digital signals as one stereo file.Preferably, the DSD 22 can hold up to 20 hours of musical sounds.

[0044] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, each six minute dataincrement results in the generation of an index number corresponding tothat increment. For example, a six minute recording would have a 00 foran index number. A twelve minute recording would have two index numbers:00 and 01. The index number 00 would represent the first six minutes ofthe recording and the index number 01 would represent the second 6minutes of the recording.

[0045] The user of the device 10 can also insert electronic markernumbers at his or her discretion, using the input device (footswitch)16. These markers would be time stamped and would be numbered beginningwith the number 1. The user of the device 10 can issue a command (alsousing input device 16) to move directly to each marker. The applicationsoftware program 19 controls this function of the device 10.

[0046] File names are created by using the date of the recording inmonth, day, and year format and the index number of the file. Forexample, a twelve minute recording created on Jan. 1, 1999 would resultin two files having the file names 010199.000 and 010199.001.

[0047] A display 24 is electrically connected to a display output 56 onprocessor 14. The display 24 can be a three or four digit LED displaytypically found in the art. The display 24 displays the index number forthe current file that is being recorded or being played. For example,when the recording and playback device 10 has been recording for 26minutes (and thus the current index number is 04) the number 04 isdisplayed on the display 24. Likewise, when the recording and playbackdevice 10 has been playing back a recording for two minutes, the numberdisplayed on the display 24 is 00. Thus, the display can be used by themusician to locate and playback a specific portion of the recordedaudio, using the displayed index numbers and/or markers. The display canalso be used to provide visual command prompts to the user when aprimary, record, or playback mode needs to be selected.

[0048] Thus, although there have been described particular embodimentsof the present invention of a new and Musical Instrument DigitalRecording Device with Communications Interface, it is not intended thatsuch references be construed as limitations upon the scope of thisinvention except as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for recording and playback of audiosignals generated by a musical instrument that is external to thedevice, comprising: an input stage operable to receive the audio signalsfrom the musical instrument and to convert the audio signals to digitalaudio signals; a processor linked to the input stage and operable tostore during a record mode the digital audio signals on an internalstorage device; an output stage linked to the processor and operable toconvert the digital audio signals stored on the storage device to analogformat during a playback mode: a communications port adapted forexchanging data with an external digital storage device; and an externalcontrol input device for generating control signals to the processor,the control signals including signals operable to activate the recordand playback modes.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processorcomprises a digital signal processor.
 3. The device of claim 1, whereinthe record mode comprises first, second, and third recording modes. 4.The device of claim 3, wherein the first recording mode is a continuousrecord mode.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the second recording modeis a record on demand mode.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the thirdrecording mode comprises a search record mode.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the internal storage device comprises a digital storage device.8. The device of claim 7, wherein the digital storage device comprises ahard disk drive.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the hard disk drivecomprises an optical disk drive.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein thehard disk drive comprises a magnetic disk drive.
 11. The device of claim8, wherein the digital storage device comprises a non-volatile memorydevice.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the non-volatile memorydevice comprises a FLASH memory card.
 13. The device of claim 1, whereinthe external control input device is a switch operably connected to thedevice by a wireless link.
 14. The device of claim 1, wherein theexternal control input device is hardwired to the processor.
 15. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the external control input device comprises afootswitch.
 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the external controlinput device is a multiple position footswitch.
 17. The device of claim1, wherein the audio signals from the musical instrument are analogsignals and wherein the input stage includes an analog to digitalconverter.
 18. The device of claim 1, wherein the control signalsgenerated by the external control input device include marker signalscorresponding to locations within the digital audio signals stored onthe internal storage device designated by a user of the device.
 19. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the input stage and output stage areresponsive to the processor whereby the device can function in therecord mode and playback mode concurrently.
 20. The device of claim 19wherein the processor and internal storage device are operable duringthe record mode to automatically overwrite previously recorded digitalaudio signals when the internal storage device has reached fullcapacity.
 21. The device of claim 1 further comprising a communicationsport adapted for exchanging data with an external digital storagedevice.
 22. The device of claim 1, further comprising a displayconnected to the processor for displaying recording or playback
 23. Thedevice of claim 22, wherein the display comprises a three digit LEDdisplay.
 24. The device of claim 23, wherein the display comprises afour digit LED display.
 25. The device of claim 1, wherein thecommunications port is a USB port.
 26. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising an auxiliary analog audio output operably connected to theinput stage.
 27. The device of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliarydigital output operably connected to the output stage.
 28. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the processor includes means to automatically recordnew analog audio signals over old analog audio signals when the storagedevice is full.
 29. A device for recording and playback of audio signalsgenerated by a musical instrument that is external to the device,comprising: input means to receive input the audio signals from themusical instrument; input data converter means to convert the inputaudio signals into digital audio signals, the input converter meansoperably connected to the input means; processor means operably linkedto the input data converter means; data storage means for storing thedigital audio signals during a record mode, the data storage meansinternal to the device and operably connected to the processor means;output converter means operably linked to the processor means andoperable to convert the digital audio signals stored on the data storagemeans to audio output signals during a playback mode; device controlmeans for generating control signals to the processor, the controlsignals including signals operable to activate the record and playbackmodes, the device control means external to the device; andcommunications means for exchanging data with an external digitalstorage device.
 30. The device of claim 29 wherein the input meansincludes a first analog signal input jack adapted for direct connectionto a cable from a musical instrument.
 31. The device of claim 29 whereinthe input means further comprises an output jack connected to the inputjack.
 32. The device of claim 30 wherein the device control means is afootswitch.
 33. The device of claim 31 wherein the input means includesa second analog input jack.
 34. A device for recording and playback ofaudio signals generated by a musical instrument that is external to thedevice, comprising: an input stage operable to receive concurrent firstand second channels of the audio signals from the musical instrument andseparately convert the first and second channel audio signals to firstand second digital audio signals; a processor linked to the input stageand operable to store during a record mode both first and second digitalaudio signals on an internal storage device; an output stage linked tothe processor and operable to concurrently convert the first and seconddigital audio signals stored on the storage device to first and secondoutput signals during a playback mode; and an external control inputdevice for generating control signals to the processor, the controlsignals including signals operable to activate the record and playbackmodes.
 35. The device of claim 34, wherein the first and second outputsignals are output in a first set of digital output signals and a secondset of analog output signals.
 36. A device for recording and playback ofaudio signals generated by a musical instrument that is external to thedevice, comprising: an input stage operable to receive audio the signalsfrom the musical instrument and to convert the audio signals to digitalaudio signals; a processor linked to the input stage and operable tostore during a record mode the digital audio signals on an internalstorage device; an output stage linked to the processor; and an externalcontrol input device for generating control signals to the processor,the control signals including signals operable to activate the recordand playback modes, wherein the external control input device comprisesa footswitch.
 37. The device of claim 36, wherein the external controlinput device is a multiple position footswitch.
 38. The device of claim1, wherein the external control input device is a switch operablyconnected to the device by a wireless link.
 39. A device for recordingand playback of audio signals generated by a musical instrument that isexternal to the device, comprising: an input stage operable to receivethe audio signals from the musical instrument and to convert the audiosignals to digital audio signals; a processor linked to the input stageand operable to store during a record mode the digital audio signals onan internal storage device wherein the internal storage device comprisesa FLASH memory card; an output stage linked to the processor; and anexternal control input device for generating control signals to theprocessor, the control signals including signals operable to activatethe record and playback modes.
 40. A device for recording and playbackof audio signals generated by a musical instrument that is external tothe device, comprising: an input stage operable to receive the audiosignals from the musical instrument and to convert the audio signals todigital audio signals; a processor linked to the input stage andoperable to store during a record mode the digital audio signals on aninternal storage device; an output stage linked to the processor; and anexternal control input device for generating control signals to theprocessor, the control signals including signals operable to activatethe record and playback modes, wherein the external control input deviceis a switch operably connected to the device by a wireless link.
 41. Adevice for recording and playback of audio signals generated by amusical instrument that is external to the device, comprising: an inputstage operable to receive the audio signals from the musical instrumentand to convert the audio signals to digital audio signals; a processorlinked to the input stage and operable to store during a record mode thedigital audio signals on an internal storage device; an output stagelinked to the processor, wherein the input stage and output stage areresponsive to the processor whereby the device can function in therecord mode and playback mode concurrently; and an external controlinput device for generating control signals to the processor, thecontrol signals including signals operable to activate the record andplayback modes.
 42. A device for recording and playback of audio signalsgenerated by a musical instrument that is external to the device,comprising: an input stage operable to receive the audio signals fromthe musical instrument and to convert the audio signals to digital audiosignals; a processor linked to the input stage and operable to storeduring a record mode the digital audio signals on an internal storagedevice, the processor and internal storage device are operable duringthe record mode to automatically overwrite previously recorded digitalaudio signals when the internal storage device has reached fullcapacity; an output stage linked to the processor; and an externalcontrol input device for generating control signals to the processor,the control signals including signals operable to activate the recordand playback modes.
 43. The device of claim 1, further comprising:processor software for controlling the processor, wherein thecommunications ports allows modifications to the software to bedownloaded.
 44. The device of claim 1, wherein control commands can beprovided to the processor through the communications port.
 45. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the external control input device generates acontrol signal selected from a control signal group, wherein the controlsignal group includes a Play Next Index Signal, a Play Back Last IndexSignal, a Play Back Last Marker Signal, a Play Back Search MarkerSignal, a Signal Setting Signal, a Continuous Record Signal, a Record onDemand Signal, a Search Record Signal, and a File Dump Signal.